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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Estimates of the crowd

  Who really cares about who had more people than the other crowd. Whoever shows, shows. That's the reality. And comparing rally crowd size takes on a "Na na nee boo boo" quality. But they always do it, even though some rallies had 1) free bus rides  2) were underwritten by certain organizations  3) were promoted by the President of the United States  4) had unions pushing them to attend, complete with box lunches, etc  5) had famous rock stars perform   6) we could go on  but here goes over at Pajamas Media:

The Beck rally covered roughly 2.4 million square feet and by AirPhotosLive’s own photographs large parts of that area were packed as densely as any overhead picture of Stewart/Colbert.  The Stewart/Colbert rally had, at most, about 6/10th the space — 1.62 million square feet vs. 2.4 million.  For it to have had that many people, they would have had to be packed about 6.7 times more densely than the densest parts of the Beck crowd.
Not a chance. Not even if they were packed in olive oil.
  Meh. Who cares. It wasn't funny, is all I know.

Those dang Nazi signs

For those who attended, a good time was had by all. Even the Nazis.


Stupid is as stupid does

The One having a few communication problems?

  Obama says Bush wasn't interested in AIDS funding. He says his opposition will cut AIDS funding, even in the US. These are untrue statements and easily documented to be untrue. For starters, take a look at Time's article on Bob Geldof's reluctant admission that Bush did more for the AIDS epidemic in Africa than any other president. Here's a taste over at TIME:

And I have always wondered why it was never told properly to the American people, who were paying for it. It was, for example, Bush who initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with cross-party support led by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. In 2003, only 50,000 Africans were on HIV antiretroviral drugs — and they had to pay for their own medicine. Today, 1.3 million are receiving medicines free of charge. The U.S. also contributes one-third of the money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — which treats another 1.5 million. 
  Yet Obama, increasingly unhinged and disturbed by the public's disillusionment with him, continues to insist something that simply isn't true and can easily be proven to be untrue. Why? In this video, he scolds the public:
 
  In this video, he is heckled by the usual crowd of leftists who think he hasn't gone far enough in this case, with the AIDS issue. Hoisted on his own petard, eh? Mr. Community Organizer having the tables turned on him? As usual, leftists want it all and they want it now. Given their choice, no one would own property and make any more than anyone else, even though those modes of government have been proven time after time to oppress liberty and creativity.
  Watch this video and see what you think. When his supporters start chanting "OBAMA! OBAMA!" again, as in the old days, Obama stands still, almost as if the chants were like healing waves washing over him. He seems to absorb it all, as if the adoration of the masses is the fuel his narcissistic soul has been starved of lo these many months.
  There are lots of rumors out there that Obama isn't handling this voter rejection very well. It will be interesting to see how he behaves after the election, considering how bad his behavior has been before.
  His conference regarding the latest bombing attempts was, again, oddly disconnected and impersonal.
  Now we learn that the British learned about the pending attacks on teevee.
  Good communication skills there.

The weekend before

  It's not good to NOT have control over the remote on the weekend before THE BIG ONE, but you do the best you can gleaning information from a variety of sources. For an hour or so yesterday, the teevee was allowed to be tuned to the Stewart Colbert rally. 
  Well, at least for as long as the people in the room could stand it. It was almost surreal, watching the faces of the admirers, knowing they couldn't hear much of what was going on on stage, because it was apparent that most of them had no clue what was going on.
  But let the groups have their parties, I say. There's no reason to disrupt, interfere or protest groups that want to celebrate their own philosophies of life (or themselves) as long as I don't have to pay for it.
  So it seemed to me that people were having fun, for the most part, if you ignore the hateful stuff.
  What hateful stuff, you ask?
  Mmmm, like maybe asking the former Cat Stevens to sing, disregarding the cognitive disconnect between the "Peace Train" and Cat's Islam's actual actions. From Wikipedia:
On February 21, 1989, Yusuf Islam addressed students at Kingston University in London about his conversion to Islam and was asked about the controversy in the Muslim world and the fatwa calling for Salman Rushdie's execution. He replied, "He must be killed. The Qur'an makes it clear - if someone defames the prophet, then he must die." [5]
  But that seems to be the way it always is with leftists. They say one thing and do another, not unlike the eco-hypocrites who fly to France for their arugula and yell at you to ride your bike to the local store. 
  That disconnect appears again when you plan a trip to Mumbai and you book the entire Taj Mahal, and numerous rooms in other hotels in the middle of what you yourself are trying to call the worst recession ever. 
  India's Economic Times also mentions the inconvenience the Obamas' jaunts around town will cause to the "small people"' ; they also mention that, since the Obamas have chosen a room that faces the ocean, there will be an extensive US and Indian Navy presence guarding their room from the sea. After all, if you're near the ocean, you really should have a view, n'est ce pas? Whyfor the trip otherwise? Oui, oui.
To ensure fool-proof security, the President’s team has booked the entire the Taj Mahal Hotel, including 570 rooms, all banquets and restaurants. Since his security contingent and staff will comprise a huge number, 125 rooms at Taj President have also been booked, apart from 80 to 90 rooms each in Grand Hyatt and The Oberoi hotels.
  Oh, and don't forget the 40 aircraft and 6 armored cars The Ones will be bringing. [Two, maybe three, armored cars, but SIX? It'll take 6 aircraft to transport just the vehicles.] There will also be 3 Marine helecopters and 30 sniffer dogs, the largest security detail ever assembled for an American president, who surely has done so much globally to change the attitudes of people wanting to kill Americans, particularly one so elevated from the "small people." 
  We begin to figure out that The One's admonition for "shared sacrifice" meant he'd keep reminding us to sacrifice, and that would be his contribution. How exhausting.
  The "I can scream at you from my limo but will mock you if you criticize me for the same thing" mentality is something the Hollywood movie *stars* learn quickly.
  One of these *stars* even tried to in the past to pass himself off as politically incorrect in an insidious Newspeak attempt to nullify the difference between being politically incorrect and politically correct. Let the most politically correct among us run a show like that. Yeah. That makes sense.
  So why is Bill Maher afraid that Mohammed is now the most popular boy's name in London these days? What's to fear? What's to apologize? Shariah law would off with his head the minute it was put in place. As he says fearfully, "Then I'm right. I should be alarmed and I don't apologize for it."
  Yeah, that's the ticket. There's more over here at Mediaite.
  Some might call this a double standard, given what the professional left screamed about Juan Williams but, meh, so what.
  Another meh, so what, moment occurs with what Barbara "I worked so hard for that title" Boxer's been up to, besides trying to humiliate military men into acknowledging her supremacy. 
  That would be her tricky dicky little creation of an Indian tribe that somehow ends up benefiting her son by at least $8 million. [Somebody's father's grandmother or something now makes a tribe.] 
  The original article published by The Hill, as Red State points out, has mysteriously disappeared from their website but you can see the cached copy at Red State. Funny how those things happen with the media conspiring to hang on to their favorite politicians.
  But back to yesterday's rally. 
  Was the audio bad? Yeah, sure, but most of those people were there to have fun. So be it. It was a beautiful day. 
  Was it funny? 
  Yikes. 
  Double yikes. 
  Not so much. 
  The hosts seemed to be straining, straining, straining to be funny, using bits that work in the confinement of a television studio but hardly worked on stage. The mockery of Beck's rally was pretty mean-spirited, like presenting medals to people for various silly things. What was the joke in that? The medals Beck presented were for magnificent contributions to society, whether you agreed with the politics or not.
  In fact, the Beck rally was more organized, less political and more entertaining than what was on teevee yesterday. 
  Decide for yourself:
  Isn't funny, ooo so funny that we can make buffoons of people who wear patriotic clothing? Hahaha! We are so funny because WE would never do a thing like that except to mock people in flyover country. Those people whose tax dollars we steal to fund our socialist blue states. YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKIN" BOUT!
  It was at this point when someone in the room grabbed the remote and turned on a football game, muttering that that was enough. Couldn't take anymore. 
  So that was that. No live blogging.
  Even liberals are wondering what the rally "accomplished," though the two hosts didn't seem to care.
  A good time, but not much else.
  Well, a good time for mostly white people.
  Oh, and if you don't count the fact that the dems were actively recruiting for their party, wearing official rally t-shirts. Oh, and the nasty signs like "I masturbate to Christine O'Donnell" and "Death to right wing extremists" and the obligatory Nazi depictions of all things Republican and/or conservative. Those rally organizers can't be held responsible for the Communists who attended their party.
  But let 'em have their day. Have fun. Enjoy.
  We got Tuesday.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

"Comedy" Central tries to restrict cameras

Interesting. Beck's rally more accessible than Comedy Central's. Over at Washington Examiner:
In fact, the Tea Party movement has done a bang-up job allowing as many kooky reporters and camera-toting people into their rallies, and simply found ways to deal with it without clamping down on free press. (The most innovative is using signs to expose Tea Party imposters.) In fact, as Lachlan Markay notes, the press is going wild for this event, but Glenn Beck’s Rally to Restore Hope was willing to provide more credentials (though it’s uncertain who, if any, were ever denied)

Live stream of Stewart rally

Hum. Lots easier finding something like this for the Stewart rally than for the Beck rally. Interesting that all these goodies are being offered by the DNC, et al, to get people to the rally and yet they will claim it's all grass roots. Huh. Go to the WaPo to watch at noon.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Final Act~

Remember November: The Final Act from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo.

Morning roundup & the crime of using margerine punished at last

  Are the dems urging Obama not to run for a second term?
  Beefcake Lee Fisher has turned his funds over to the DNC in sure defeat in the Ohio Senate race.
  Obama makes an odd appearance on Jon Stewart's show in a serious bid to shore up Stewart's rally this weekend and try to explain his policies, which he obviously hasn't done before, considering his low television profile. Some laughter ensues, not necessarily good.
  Dems crossing party lines to vote for O'Donnell? As much as Republicans lament the quality of some of the conservative candidates, the alternative is worse. Is O'Donnell rising in the polls?
  Katie Couric called us "the great unwashed" masses, in an attempt to relate. It doesn't seem to be working. Daily Caller:

That’s why Couric has spent recent weeks in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is touring what she calls “this great unwashed middle of the country” in an effort to divine the mood of the midterms.
One way to show you’ve figured out the public’s mood is to call them the “great unwashed.” They love that all the way out in New Brunswick, which she can’t even see from her office! You have to admire her bravery, venturing to the wilds of Chicago. Imagine the chill up her spine at the thought of all those lumpenproles she was flying over.
  The DNC is digging for dirt on Obama challengers already? Or maybe for a Hillary candidacy? 
  A sigh of relief heaved around the world as the crime of transfats in margerine has been punished for the first time by the government. Aren't you happy now?
  That guy who "assaulted" the Moveon activist? Not so sure now he was "assaulting" as much as defending. Read over at Instapundit:

Yet another argument for those ubiquitous video cameras I’m always touting.

Trick or treat?

As we go into the Halloween weekend preceding the election, The One's behavior is growing increasingly odd and desperate though, in general, he is able to present himself as unmoved by the upcoming tidal wave, as long as he stays on teleprompter. His speeches at rallies uncharacteristically shrill and breathless, so much so, that he sounds as if he's been running.
  Observe: 

  • the repeated use of the stupid car metaphor which reveals a complete tin ear and a drifting away from his vaunted rhetorical skills and the return of the stupid Slurpee image
  • the rumored use of a teleprompter even in private meetings with 6 people present
  • the aggressive and vile posture toward those he perceives as enemies, like, half the country or more. How does it make sense for him to treat half the country or more as enemies?
  • the race baiting, the refusal to enforce the rule of law for all citizens
  • the reference the other day to Republicans riding in the back seat, a clear allusion to racial animus in this country years ago. Payback?
  • repeated references to violent acts to get what he wants, like bringing a gun to a fight, toward citizens of this country.
  • the odd mannerisms he’s developing, like the southern drawl, the dropping of the final consonants, the "I'm a survivor of the hood" beleagured hoarse diction he uses for rallies
  • the absolute obsession with appearing on as many venues as possible and the never ending need for narcissistic adoration. He doesn’t seem to be hiding the messiah complex anymore. He’s nurturing it.

Just sayin.’ Somethin’ bad goin’ on there.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Rumors, gossip and innuendo

  Free Republic is a forum run by Jim Robinson and his son; it has always been a good source of information, as eagle eyed users are constantly on the lookout for info and the forum has been around for years. If you want to see what's bubbling up around the web, go there. Sometimes posters get nasty, admittedly, and liberals have criticized Free Republic for that kind of posting, considering it "extreme." Heck, what isn't "extreme" to most liberals these days. 
  Years ago during the Clinton administration, a poster named Quidam seemed to have inside information on the Clinton White House. Much was posted, titillating the crowd of readers who eagerly followed his writings.
  None of it proved to be true. 
  The links I am about to post must be considered just as that..rumors, gossip and innuendo.
  That said, much of the information in these articles seems credible. 
  Take them for what you will remembering that many anonymous posters get a kick out of yanking the chains of the opposition party. It's a thrill and the pleasure anonymous posters get from leading on gullible readers must motivate them to keep posting.
  But, still, here go the links. Hannity mentioned something about a scandal brewing, although it didn't sound like these particular scandals which involve Obama.
  Repeat: none of this information is verified or even necessarily true. The only reason these anonymous links are being posted is that the information has a ring of truth to it, in more ways than one.
  The Obama Tragedy
  The President Needs to Grow Up
  Republicans vs. White House Corruption
  White House Insider: Obama Battling Severe Depression
  White House Insider: President Obama is Lost; Absolutely Lost
  Coming Soon: Serious White House Scandal
  They were shocked at the president's behavior
Take it for what you will. 

DNC illegal campaign loan?

A Pajamas Media Exclusive here:

Shortly after Labor Day, as polls continued to sink, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) realized it needed a cash infusion for the upcoming midterm elections. Its chairman, former Virginia Governor Tom Kaine, turned to the Bank of America to secure a $15 million revolving credit line. Then, in the middle of this month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) got another loan from BofA for an additional $17 million.
What was their collateral? It turns out, not much.

Illinois democrats subvert voters' ballots

  More schemes to swing the election are coming in from all around the country. This one includes sending out ballots to numerous voters with a return address of the Illinois DNC. This is the rationale for doing that:
The IDCC told the I-Team that they used their PO box as the return address because they "are better able to track the process and make sure there are fewer problems."
  "Track the process?" "fewer problems?" Does ANYONE believe that? Does anyone believe having to return the ballots through yet more hands makes the procedure safer? How is this legal? HOW is ANY of this legal? 
  ABC Local in Illinois.
 

We will be victorious!

H/T Conservative Outlooks:

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A really stupid promo for democrats

  House "star" Olivia Wilde "stars" in this promo to vote democrat. It's bizarre, that these people cannot see that the people who want to run your life, steal your wallet, cheat at the voting booth, merge themselves with mega corporations like NPR, destroy jobs and pretty much ruin the economy are DEMOCRATS. The exaggeration and self-delusion are monumental. Sheesh. 
Here's the true nature of the democrats, on display for all the world to see:
And all the useful idiots in the audience laugh.
And claim conservatives are vile.

SEIU in charge of voting machines that are registering all votes FOR Reid?

  How is it possible that the technicians in charge of the voting machines in the Clark County district where Harry Reid's name is automatically popping up when someone votes for Angle are SEIU members, who have already endorsed Reid?
  How is this possible?
  Read at Net Right Daily:
On page 75 of the agreement, in Appendix A, Voting Machine Technician is listed as a classified position that the SEIU represents. Even though the CBA expired on June 30, 2010, the CBA continues until this day because of language in Article 43 which says that the County and SEIU can continue the CBA year to year until one party deems it unfit.
What a coincidence that the voting machines in Clark County just happen to be automatically set to support the candidate that the union that represents the “voting machine technicians” supports… You vote, we decide.

Reading the tee-vee leaves

  Let's read the tee-vee leaves that are causing so much stress in the run up to the election.
~anxiety watching the news reports~ 
  We're dealing with a great deal of hysteria the last year and it's accelerating greatly in this last week before the election. This has been unnerving, as we watch the polls slide up and down and the media go berserk, analyzing, exaggerating and bloviating about every little nuance.
  This is the nature of the 24/7 news cycle. To keep viewers interested requires new material, competition, a race, right and wrong juxtaposed against one another; at times it is almost as if the news has turned into the real reality shows. No one can argue that Glenn Beck isn't compelling television; you never know what he will do (or which guest might faint.) And there's a rush that goes along with watching real time developments.
  In addition, to create a greater sense of momentum that simply isn't there for the democrats, various skewed polls are being touted and democrats are appearing all over television talking up how excited their constituency is and how the polls are changing so greatly the last week. This is false. Poll 45% democrats and 31% Republicans and you're going to get a different number than accurate.
~concern over cheating at the polls~
  Today, honestly, the most disturbing news is the prospect of widespread cheating at voting, as reports come in from all over the country of anomalies in voting. 
  Most voters can do nothing about this, other than to volunteer as poll watchers, watch carefully to be sure their vote is recorded accurately and hold people accountable for correcting problems. It's frustrating.
  Today Rush said he doesn't believe that it is possible for the dems to cheat this much; the tsunami is coming, and they won't be able to do anything about it, other than to cheat a few politicians here and there, Franken-style.
  The good news is that we're hearing and reading about this. That's good, although stressful. We aren't helpless. The cheaters know we're watching. Our senses are sharpened to watch what is happening. There are people who can do things about it.
  And won't it be a surprise when a number of citizen groups like True the Vote will be forming in the next two years to assure the accuracy of votes.
~concern over momentum swinging back toward dems~
  In fact, numerous democrats, particularly the ones who voted against Obamacare and then changed their votes, are in deep deep trouble. When Barney Frank and even John Dingell are in trouble, you know something's afoot.
~concern over the lame duck session~
  Much concern has been expressed about the period of time after all these democrats lose and the new session of Congress begins--the lame duck period. Many people worry that the democrats, out of bitterness and selfishness, will pass all manner of monstrous legislations. 
  Although this is possible with regard to legislation that will increase democrats' chance of gaining office again, James Taranto suggests this is unlikely, primarily because the senators who will be running in 2012 won't want to endanger their chances of winning as they watch the political landscape change. 
  In addition, the democrats are turning on Obama, as it has become clear to even them that going along with his and Pelosi's nutty and destructive policies are the reasons they have been voted out of office. He's a divisive politician, and everybody knows it now.
  And if the defeated House representatives ever want to be elected again (and you can bet that lots of them will start planning their next campaign as soon as November 2 is over), then they will realize that the country is in no mood for shenanigans, nor is it tolerant of the ultra liberal ideas that have dominated this Congress. They will need to change their tunes to become more center right/conservative to get reelected. Plus if you're hoping to go home to a pleasant district and avoid being booed out of Pizza Hut, you'd better not screw the pooch on the way out the door.
~Soros has lots of money and has created many destructive programs~
  This is true, but progressives have permanently damaged their brand. They will have to change their ways to gain the trust of the people again. We have too many ways to gain information now. Owning just the House will help stop the funding of many of these programs, at least at the supplemental governmental level.
~concern it won't last~
  We have witnessed miracles in the last 2 years, which have been unlike any most people have ever seen in their lives. The Gadsden flags waving, the resurgence of interest in arcane texts, the formation and organization of thousands of tea parties across the nation (over 200 in Ohio alone) as community after community met together to organize against this threat against our democracy.
  Has it not been awe-inspiring? To stand back, take account and marvel at what has happened the force driving these events is energizing.
  And we aren't going away.
  When we first started, we thought it was just for this election. But now we know it's not. We've watched people come from all over the country, time after time, to Washington to protest and gather peacefully.
  We've been ridiculed, called names repeatedly, mocked, excoriated.
  It didn't hurt, though, because it isn't true.
  There is much to be grateful for as we move into the last lap.

Uninformed, clueless and pathetic

  It is REALLY disrespectful to refer to a former president as a moron an uninformed, clueless and pathetic individual who doesn't have an iota of knowledge of which he speaks. He has no idea. He is utterly blind. He is a sad, contemptible, wretched individual, a hollow shell of a man who was once run off a river by a vicious rabbit. And then had the indiscretion to complain about it.
We don't forget.


Rand Paul protestor paid activist

  While we wait to learn the true details of the so-called "assault" of the democrat involved in the scuffle outside the Rand Paul debate last night, it's a good idea to do a little research on her, which Jim at Gateway Pundit has done:
For the record…
The Unhinged Leftist Who Lunged at Rand Paul Is a Paid Activist
MoveOn.org contract employee Lauren Valle stalked and lunged at Rand Paul outside the final debate last night.
  Here's the video. Note the grin on the woman's face after the event in which she claims to have been attacked because of her beliefs. According to those who were there, (at least at this point) the woman lunged at Rand Paul. She says she was trying to "give him" something. You'll notice from the video from CBS that the Paul supporters are calling for the police--that is, for help. (If they're so guilty...) As the woman is wrestled to the ground, one man puts his foot on her shoulders and it slips to her head, even as the man who actually wrestled her down says, "No, no, no, no, no!" indicating he does not want the woman to be abused. You decide what you think happened.
  Of course, the left is eager to prove that the right is violent, because all incidents of lying, cheating, stealing and violence are on the left assaulting the right.
  Remember Kenneth Gladney? Didn't think so.
  This isn't to excuse the behavior of the man who put his foot on her shoulder. It's just that this behavior isn't unusual on the left but is widely reported in a case like this.

Trashing the Supreme Court

  Well, on one hand, we have a congress critter who is planning or has filed a lawsuit against Chief Justice Roberts for the Court's ruling on Citizens United because he feels it has hurt his campaign because ordinary citizens can voice their opinions through advertising.
  Liberals do not like voters to be able to represent themselves through advertising, unless, of course, they are members of a union, whereupon whatever they want to say goes. Whatever they want to say won't agree with Republicans or conservatives, naturally.
  We saw Obama's assault on the Supreme Court ruling at the State of the Union address. Never had this been done before, in such a political, partisan and vicious way.
  Now we have this expose on Clarence Thomas. First we had numerous accusations against Ginni Thomas for becoming politically active. It was a "problem," critics said. Immediately following is this absolutely reprehensible book a former Thomas "girlfriend" is shopping.
  Isn't it interesting that all the dirt this woman is "revealing" is done without a contract for her book?   Usually those details are only dished in limited amount once the book is to be published soon. In fact, CNN is airing numerous gossip and salacious accusations, which seems unusual considering the book hasn't even been picked up yet by a publisher, as it will undoubtedly be very soon, even though it doesn't make much sense because the contents have been spilled already.
  Some of the most salacious details, into which the woman delves repeatedly, seem intended to primarily humiliate and diminish Thomas.
  So obviously this is being done to damage reputations and do as much damage as possible, even without the publication contract of the book. The book isn't the point. Humiliating Thomas is.
  Rarely do you hear it mentioned that this woman is a democrat. Still, a little Googling reveals some details about her life. Black Political Buzz:

Still, McEwen, a Democrat, acknowledges growing increasingly irritated with Thomas's conservative jurisprudence and his penchant for casting himself as a victim in the Hill controversy. 
Thomas himself has obliquely referred to the McEwen both in his 2007 memoir and during his confirmation hearing. 
From NewsBusters:

Reporter Michael Fletcher (co-author of a critical biography of Justice Thomas) downplays that McEwen was a Democrat and lawyer for Senator Joe Biden on the Judiciary Committee. In their 1994 anti-Thomas book Strange Justice, reporters Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer quote Sukari Hardnett (another Thomas accuser) claiming Thomas discussed his personal life with her, complaining that McEwen viewed him as “a puppet of the Republicans.” 
And from Big Journalism:
In the wake of reports that wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginny Thomas, called Anita Hill for an apology for her performance before the Judiciary Committee nearly 20 years ago, theWashington Post has come out with a purportedly new story that contains absolutely nothing new, or the least bit scandalous, or damning of Thomas at all.
  Glenn Beck mentioned this morning that a year and a half ago he said that progressives would be going after the Supreme Court. It sure looks like he's right again. You can say what you want about him, but he's been right an awful lot lately.
  Every area of government is under assault. Voting machines are 'acting up." Huge campaigns to cheat in voting have been organized. Secretaries of State have been recruited and warn through the Soros campaign. The Constitution is under assault, as is the electoral college. 
  It's pretty obvious we, the tea partiers, have been pretty successful. 
  Semper fi, my friends.